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Sept 20: Xterra Trail Run Nationals 21k - Ogden, UT

Friday, September 4, 2009

The Itch

I'm getting that old familiar itch back. The itch to race. October 24th is my next race...that is so FAR away! Until then, my only brush with the ultra world will be at Wasatch next weekend, when Geof and I head out to Utah to pace our friend Gary through his first 100 mile race. Yesterday, I was on the phone with Gary going over some last minute things for the race, and I could feel myself switching into race mode. I think that if anyone was listening to my end of the conversation they would have a) been totally lost because ultra jargon is generally viewed as another language, or b) thought I was having a very serious conversation about something that sounded very life-changing and exciting but wouldn't be able to figure out what exactly I was talking about since it was all in ultra jargon :) I love talking about running.

We went over everything...what to bring, what to leave, what to where, when to do this and that, pace, driving, terrain, these shoes not those, etc. It was fun! When I got off the phone with Gary I decided it would be helpful to create a pace chart for the crew to have as a reference. I went onto the Wasatch 100 website and checked out the most recent (2006) split times and pulled various splits starting at a 27-hour finish through a 36-hour finish and put them into a spreadsheet. Gary said he was thinking a 32-hour finish, but really none of us have any clue what to expect since this is his first 100 and it's mountainous. So I gave us a buffer. Now we'll be able to predict his finish time based on when he enteres specific aid stations and have a very vague idea of when we need to be at each crew-accessible aid station. It was fun for me to put that together, and super easy.

So now Wasatch has me itching for a race; I just need to be patient until October :) Last nights CHUG social sure didn't help things at all. In a weird out-of-body moment, I told Brian that if he signed up for Leadville 2010 I would sign up. What?! Then Geof said, "I'm in!" Oh boy. Now that I think about it, I'm pretty darn sure I meant it :) Geof was smiling big, and Brian had that look in his eye like he wanted to hold me to my word. Like I said, oh boy.

In other news, I ran my first double this week! I can't believe that was the first time I've done that. It felt good and I really enjoyed it. Six miles in the early a.m. and then six miles after work. Not bad, starting out my week with a 12-mile day :) Geof and I also ran the evening six more than three minutes faster than the morning six. Can ya dig it? That put me up high enough in the week, early on, that I've had to reign in my running since so that I can still have a long-ish run this week without going over my planned mileage (gotta build a base, remember!).

Now I'm reallllly looking forward to the long weekend! Get some good solid running in (maybe on a trail?), submit four exams for a class (yikes! Does anyone want to do that for me?), read, relax, maybe look up some new races :)

I don't even recall what prompted my saying that, lol! But, whatevs, it's gonna happen I guess :) I'd say there is more than just 'potential' for it to be another CHUGfest...more like 'going to be' another CHUGfest :-)

LT100! I dare you. Do it. Go ahead :) Awesome - glad to see everything is falling into place. Why wait until Oct? You're not returning to Stone Steps? Gosh, October is so far away...I'm itching too. I'll test the ol' knee this weekend with a 15m run on the VT50 course...see how that goes.

Mike - Those are fightin' words, lol! Nope, not returning to Stone Steps, I'm doing the North Face 50M in Wisconsin instead, yeehaw! Good luck this weekend, and tell that knee to shut the eff up and let you run!

For some inspiration and motivation, check out this video -- ahamoment.com/pg/moments/view/7216 -- about one man's "aha moment" experienced during a 104 mile race and how it changed his perspective on life. I think you'll enjoy it.

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Quotes and Musings

"What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life. That is what life means and what life is for." ~ George Mallory, 1922

"There is a reason in every race to finish it or to quit early; it's a matter of what you choose. I believe the choice you take out there is the choice you're going to take in every aspect of life." ~ Perry Edinger

"Your outlook on life is a direct reflection of how much you like yourself." ~ Lululemon

"If you start to feel good during an ultra, don't worry, you'll get over it." ~Thibeault

"The core of a man's spirit comes from new experiences." ~Chris McCandless

"Circumstance has no value. It is how one relates to a situation that has value. All true meaning resides in the personal relationship to a phenomenon, what it means to you." ~Chris McCandless

Must Reads

"Life of Pi" Yann Martel

"No Shortcuts to the Top" Ed Viesturs

"Omnivore's Dilemma" Michael Pollan

"The Alchemist" Paulo Coehlo

"Crossing to Safety" Wallace Stegner

"Merle's Door" Ted Kerasote

"The Way of the Peaceful Warrior" Dan Millman

"Running Through The Wall: Personal Encounters with the Ultramarathon" Neal Jamison

"Buddha" Deepak Chopra

"Into The Wild" John Krakauer

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